Letters of Note: Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope.

“Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.”

–E.B. White

Letters of Noteprovides a snapshot into the faxes, memos, letters, telegrams, and any other fascinating tidbits of correspondence that Shaun Usher can get his hands on. Originally a blog-based archive, it has grown into a captivating collection of correspondence from the enigmatic to the everyday.

Though we’ve found many meaningful letters, we direct your attention to one written by author E.B. White (and highlighted by Maria Popova on Brainpickings) as a response to a letter received by a particularly despondent man. His words remind us of the importance of hope and perseverance:

Dear Mr. Nadeau:

As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.

Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.

Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.